David Cronenberg’s first commercial feature was the great low-budget shocker Shivers (aka They Came From Within), in which the residents of an ultra-modern apartment complex are infected by a strange parasite. The parasite removes inhibitions, and drives its hosts into frenzies of sex and violence. Eventually the whole complex is full of a swirling mass of people that all look like they’ve taken their cosplay of scenes from Caligula a little too far.

The movie has a lot of people making out, some really weird little crawling parasite worms, and a healthy dose of early body horror in the signature Cronenberg style. It’s pretty great, but unfortunately not all that easy to see as the US DVD has been out of print for a few years.

Now, because we’re so much more comfortable with intertwined sex and violence on screen than we were when Cronenberg made the movie in ’75, Shivers is being remade. Read More »